Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-03-31
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
REPORT OF THE NATIONAL
LEAGUES COMMITTEE.

LEAN ~ IT. - YIN LFAG i AAtS
New York and Massachusetts the Only
. states In Which tn Reformed state
and Municipal Sy VEN Has Been In
- sroduced-The Rssu Very Gratifying
TO the Friends of the Movement.
NEW YORK. March 3o.-On April 30,
1856, the Executive COMMITTEE of the
National Civil Service Reform League
appointed a committee of seven gentle
men, viz: George William Curtis, Carl
Schurz, Wayne MscVe agh, Charles >.
Bonaparte, Charles X. Goldman, Charles
Claflin Allen and William Potts, to col
lect trustworthy information concerning
the enforcement and operation OF the
civil service law and the rules and regu-
lations hereunder in the departments at
WASHINGTON, and in the various govern
ment offices III the country TO which the
law applies; also concerning the princi-
pies and methods followed by the nation
nj admi nistration in making appoint
m ents and removals or suspensions, and
also concerning the progress Of the re-
formed system of the civil service In
State and municipal governments.
The committee has just submitted its
report. The following are some OF It's
oahcht pOiDbSs
CIVIL SERVICE IN TWO STATES.
New York and Massachusetts, are the only
States in which the reformed State and
municipal system has been introduced. In
both States the general and local supervision
have been lntrusteo to competent com ms
sions com posed of sincere friends oil reform.
80 whom the happy results of the new system
are argely due.
q Faithfully executed. and their practical wis
aom has beer fully vindicated, In Massa-
shusetts the whole number of persons IN
eluded IN the classified service ID 1886, at
tached to the clerical. police, prison, nre
and labor departments, and the official testl-
mony to the success OF the reformed system Is
In New ,.S1 the State reform law has been
operation since January, 1854. IL was
made obligatory upon the cities the State
in Nav, 1884, although the Mayors of New
\ ork and Brooklyn had already voluntarily
introduced the reformed system in those
cities under the discretion allowed by the
Original law. The first good effect Of the law
was complete classification of til state ser
vice which had not been previously made.
The whole number of persons included IN
the classified service in New York is Il, S9j, of
which 4.Sl9 are in the state service, and OF the
whole number .e'.ined dur nC the year "
per cent. wefs eGuc Ell exclusively IN the
Common sch tes. II p, Grace. the late Mayor
of the city of w Iotk. to whose intelligent
fidelity and eafl9l u, enio cling the re
formed system the sup = ;, ing board IN that
city pays a warm tribute. NJ whose know-
edge of the practical operation of the law IL
both comprehensive and detailed, says that
~.selection by competitive examinations sup
piemented by probation, In fact seems TO fur
nish an entifely satisfactory mode for filing
yacaneies.r The reports from all the cities
Of The slate tn winch the reform law applies
show an honest effort to enforce it effectively.
The progress Of the reformed system of the
civil service in State ana municipal govern
sments has been most rapid and encouraging.
NATIONAL sIvIL SERVICE.
1t would be iS=s ssssible fairly to estimate
the practical fdA'iS of the President to his
civil service re = I'm pledges If we did not con
slider the eX1 Jag conditions of executive ac-
ton and tas circumstances under which the
adminIstr ltlon began. In the exercise of the
executive aSthority of appointment and re-
moval the President is generally compelled 10
iact without DC sonal knowledge and upon the
Representations of Others. His chief depend
ence is naturally upon the heads OF depart
.ments, who are his chosen councillors. lie le,
however, in hlga sense responsible for the
whole executive administration. He selects
his Cabinet, and he may justly require of
every head OF a department the faithful en-
forcement of his policy. and justly remove
any such officer who refuses honest CO.
operation.
In their inquiry into the enforcement and
operation of the civil service law and the
rules and regulations hereunder in the gov
Rrnment departments in Washington, the
committee have been greatly assisted by the
details furnished to the Civil Service Record
by the heads OF departments with the approx
tal of the President. amt published in that
journal. There are about $3.50 places inc uded
. In what is called the departmental service a
sswashngton. From March 4. 1885 to Jane l6,
1885, period of one year ana little more
than three months. tile removals in this SER
vice were nearly 619 per cent, and the new
appointments about s per cent. In the State
Department the removals were 10 per
Gent. and the appointments 515.
In the Treasury the removals were ~ per
cent. the appointments 1917. In the War
Department the removals were per cent,
including eleven dsmissals by reduction of
force, and the appointments were $40 per
cent. In the Post Office Department the re-
Ia NNar ant and lint
ments II per cent. In the Interior Depart
ment the removals were 4 per cent, the
appointments per cent; and in the Depart
menJ OF Justice the removals were per cent,
and the appointments l2%. That notwith-
standing this small percentage of change
there have been individual instances
of Injustice, of foTcsi resignation, and of ar
| bitrary dismissals is certain. The report
from WasbingtGE Ewever, upon the Whole,
ii personal pressure a. change more concen-
H frnsed and %sn9-sA.- But the figures show
1 fhas the rule. ~ general have been faithfully
observed. Not for half q century have there
q been 30 few removals in that service within
u She same time upon party change of admin
y 1stration, and thl observance of the rules
d and the condition of the service in the de-
partments demonstrate once more both the
Iffaotsoabil y and the benefit of the reform.
Bssjdes the 5,65A places in the department
ct " Arlington, Jhe civil service law applies
60 6, 9sS positions IN the customs and postal
eergios throughout the country. Ghe CLASH
Had postal service Includes twenty eight post
ofnces and ths classified custom, service
eleven custom houses. These are distributed
among The twenty states, anu IN the
other states there Is as yet no classified ser
vice, and ell the appointments arc MaGe at
pleasure.
. There are not altogether forty post Offices
ana custom houses in the classified services
They all with two or three exceptions
situated in the largest cities, and it should
seem perfectly practicable TO ascertain the
views upon reform of any person who is pro-
posed for appointment TO an important Office,
and to foresse his probable official action.
The uniform selection for such appointments
OF known friends of reform rs in the case Of
she present heads OF the two chief
offices of the kind In the country, the
post Office and the custom house IN New
York, would have been unm stakably sir-
ntlcant of the purpose Of the administration.
y However excellent the private character and
general ability Of persons nominate ed TO such
Offices may be. however high their party
standing, and however efficient their party
activity, IL 10 plain that the best public guar
antee OF the honest operation of the reform
law lies in the known determination Of the
appointing officer faithfully to execute It.
yhls 10 Il Consideration Of the HI ghest import
ance both 10 the public service and to the re-
ssxSsd system.
THE POST OFFICES.
} On June 30, 1886 the whole number of post
Offices was 1854, OF which 2, 265 were filed Dy